Maine farmers seek fund to clean up PFAS contamination
(The Center Square) – Maine’s agricultural sector is pushing for state funding to help farmers test for and remove soil contamination from so-called “forever” chemicals.
The proposal, which went before the Committee on Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry on Tuesday, would create a new $100 million state fund to pay for testing, health monitoring and cleanup of and from perfluoroalkyl and polyfluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, toxic compounds that have been linked to cancer and other illnesses.
Dozens of farmers testified in support of the bill at Tuesday’s hearing, many blaming the state for promoting the sale of PFAS-contaminated sludge for widespread use as fertilizer.
“The State of Maine issued hundreds of licenses to spread PFAS-contaminated sludge on farmland across the state and now the state needs to take accountability for this by doing absolutely everything they can to support impacted farmers,” said Noami Brautigam, who co-owns Dickey Hill Farm in Monroe. “Without a meaningful support in the form of a robust safety net, we are failing the farmers who are inheriting this nightmare.”
Gov. Janet Mills’ administration supports the creation of the fund, and Agricultural Commissioner Amanda Beal told the committee that the state’s effort to address PFAS contamination will require “robust and continuing financial support.”
“We concur that financial assistance, health monitoring, research, education, data collection and enhanced testing capacity are all critical to that effort,” she said
Maine farmers have used sludge from wastewater treatment plants on crops for years as fertilizer. The processed wastewater is high in nutrients that are beneficial to growing.
But tests of soils on Maine farms have detected high levels of PFAS, which have been dubbed “forever chemicals” because they accumulate in the human body and can take thousands of years to degrade. Research has found potential links between high levels of PFAS and illnesses, ranging from kidney cancer to high cholesterol and problems in pregnancies.
More than nine Maine farms have been identified as having higher-than-acceptable levels of PFAS contamination, according to the Department of Agriculture, Conservation, and Forestry.
Overall, the state agency is planning to test more than 700 other farms for contamination, a costly process that officials say could take years.
Maine lawmakers are debating a separate proposal that would ban the use of sludge or sludge-derived compost for agricultural purposes unless it has been tested for contamination.
Environmental groups also support the proposed relief fund, saying that PFAS contamination has become “an existential threat” for the state’s agricultural sector.
“As farmers scramble to obtain testing and understand whether their farm is potentially affected, they face fear not only about their livelihood and the future of their land but also the risks that contamination may pose to their family’s health,” R. Scott Sanderson, with the Conservation Law Foundation, said in testimony on the bill. “They need support to work through this daunting array of issues.”
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